Cessna 195A accident near San Carlos, California, May 16, 2013
On May 16, 2013, a Cessna 195A, registered N4026A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near San Carlos, California (San Carlos airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2013 · cases in 2013
- Place
- San Carlos, California · San Carlos · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N4026A · no longer on the register · serial 7830
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane, he executed a wheel landing, and continued to maintain directional control with the runway centerline. With the power at idle, the tail began losing lift and upon lowering the tail, the airplane began turning to the right. He applied left rudder, but found it ineffective so he also applied left brake to correct for the right turn. He was unable to bring the airplane back to the runway centerline, and felt that an aborted landing was no longer an option due to the direction the airplane was heading and the remaining runway length. He continued to apply left brake to the point where the tail began to lift, and tried to keep the airplane lined up to exit the runway at taxiway D. As the airplane entered the taxiway, the left main landing gear leg failed under side load. This resulted in the airplane’s left wing and fuselage contacting the runway surface as it came to rest with the airplane pointing about 45 degrees to the runway heading. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left side of the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 394 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 3, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 28, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: SQL San Carlos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 12, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4026A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4026A: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 195 437 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R755-A2 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- San Carlos Airport · nearest airport
- Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,897 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4026A 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13CA232.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.